Posts from Rosh Hashanah

Here is a bread that is as much a pleasure to look at as it is to eat. Check out that braiding! And the way it practically glows on the table! Slice yourself a piece and cherish the pillow-soft interior, simultaneously rich and slightly sweet. Challah is a bread that should be in everyone's repertoire. For celebrating everything from Hanukkah to Sunday supper, challah is the just the bread for the job.

If you ask me about comfort food, I will answer promptly: slow-cooked brisket. This old-fashioned pot roast, cooked quietly in the slow cooker all day with just a handful of ingredients and a mess of caramelized onions, makes a rich broth and meat that melts in your mouth. Sunday dinner, weeknight supper — whenever you eat it, this is a classic dish both convenient and comforting.

For our final Modern Thanksgiving Relish Tray (see our pickle board and spread of dips and crudités) I went a very untraditional route for Thanksgiving: cheese! I was looking for something that represented the Bay Area and our local bounty, something unique and delicious and maybe just a bit decadent. Something dramatic and singular and celebratory.

While the relish tray was originally passed as a way to add a brisk and snappy appetizer element to the rich Thanksgiving meal, it's not too surprising that people eventually started adding creamy mayo and sour cream-based dressings as something to dip those healthy carrot and celery sticks into.

We took the middle road and offered creamy hummus and smoky eggplant dip on our second Modern Relish Tray (our first tray was all about pickles).

When Faith floated the idea of having the gang from The Kitchn gather at my house in Oakland to celebrate and shoot the 2014 Thanksgiving spread, I was thrilled. They would take care of everything, she promised, except maybe could I do a modern interpretation of the old-fashioned relish tray as appetizers?

Absolutely! We ended up deciding on three trays: pickles, spreads, and cheese and fruit. Let's start with my favorite: the pickle tray.

You probably are familiar with Manischewitz, that syrupy sweet wine. It's not the most hip stuff, but its story is far more intriguing than you might expect. Modern Farmer has a look at the history of Manischewitz — and the story of how the biggest kosher company in the U.S. got started.

Today we’re gonna party like it’s 5775. That’s right folks, the lunar new year is right around the corner, and we’re ringing in Rosh Hashanah with an extra special dessert! These honey apple cakelets are great for any fall occasion, really, but they also happen to contain symbolic ingredients for a good and sweet Jewish New Year.

With Rosh Hashanah around the corner, now is the time to finalize (or, okay, start) your menu planning. Many holiday tables include some combination of chicken soup, brisket, tzimmes, and potato or noodle kugel. This year, enhance the traditional fare with a bevy of seasonal sides that incorporate fall's best flavors and highlight the holiday's most symbolic ingredients. Whether you are seeking inspiration for a crunchy salad, a vegetable dish, or an unexpected starch, these nine sides have you covered.

Many families celebrate Rosh Hashanah at home by eating apples dipped in honey. The apples' round shape symbolizes the passing of time — Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year after all. And the honey represents people's hopes for sweet times ahead. This year, double up on the apple and honey tradition by toasting the New Year with hard apple ciders and mead (honey wine).

Here are four good picks from two people who really know their cider and mead.

From Texas to Tel Aviv, just about everyone loves brisket — the flavorful cut of beef found on the breast or lower chest of the cow. And what's not to like? The slowly-cooked meat is exceptionally tender and moist with caramelized edges perfect for nibbling straight from the pan.